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The report found that drug use in the area was on the increase overall, with the number of drug users aged under 18 and over 35 seeking treatment rising since the Task Force’s initial report last year.

That report had found that children as young as 11 were smoking cannabis every day – some even during school hours.

While heroin is still the biggest problem drug with 44% of those surveyed seeking treatment for addiction to the drug, its use is decreasing among young people.

Instead, young people are turning to cannabis, alcohol, cocaine and benzodiazepines, with the use of all of these drugs increasing among under 18s.

The report also identified 63 secluded sites in the Blanchardstown, Castleknock and Coolmine area that are used for alcohol and drug consumption.

Some of those surveyed said the reduced use of heroin among young people was due to the perception of the drug as being highly addictive compared with other drugs.

One participant said: “A lot of people are…strung out on tablets…and…smoking weed.

“I know a lot of people doing that…and a lot of people would be like ‘he’s not a junkie, he’s not on heroin but he’s whacking tablets out of it.”

Another adult drug user added: “Kids nowadays look on people on crack and heroin as junkies but you have these young ones and they’re smoking weed every day and tablets too and drinking at the weekend.

“They call addicts junkies and I do laugh because they’ve no awareness about drugs and what they’re doing is the same.”

The easy availability of alcohol and drugs was also identified as a factor in increased use by participants of the study.

“There’s…people delivering drink right through the weekend, 24/7 you know and they deliver drugs as well…and that’s on Facebook. Well not the drugs bit, they don’t advertise that,” said one participant.

Another participant added: “There’s ‘dial a drink’…€40 a bottle of vodka…at any time.

“If you’re at a party at 4 o’clock in the morning you can call and get booze delivered.

“One fella…he’d do all in one…5 o’clock in the morning drop us up a bag of coke and a bottle of vodka.”

Many participants of the survey felt that alcohol and drug use had become normalised and that this contributed to the problem.

Alarmingly, one young drug user who was not seeking treatment stated that they felt that young people used drugs such as cocaine because they felt they could not get addicted to them.